Means for controlling the movement of tapes



Filed March 17 W. S. PRITCHARD ET AL MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF TAPES Sept. 10, 1929.

NVENTORS Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. PRITCQHARD, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, AND WILFRED T. BIRD- SALL, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO TRANS-LUX DAYLIGHT PIC- TUBE SCREEN CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- "WARE.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF TAPES.

Application filed March 17, 1926. Serial No. 95,192.

It has been proposed to project upon a screeuquotations printed upon a plurality of tapes by a corresponding number of tickers. A method and means have been pro- 5 posed whereby a plurality of tapes willbe fed through their projection position in absolute synchronism, so that no relative move-- ment between the tapeswill be apparent upon the screen.

[ The object of our invention is to devise a means which shall approximate the same result and in an extremely simple and inex pensive manner. The invention will be best understood from the following description 15 taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a plurality of tickers employing our invention.

Figure 2 is a wiring diagram illustrating 20 the operation of our invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail the numeral 1 desi 'nates a ticker, by which term is meant any device adapted to print upon and eject a tape. Our invention finds particular utility in connection with tickers of the type employed to print stock and bond quotations, although it is by no means limited to use therewith. The ticker 1 prints quotations or the like upon a tape 2 which it then ejects and which may then be passed through a projection position indicated by the support 3. The quotations on the tape are projected upon a suitable screen as the tape passes through the position indicated at 3. Means for achieving this projection form no part of our invention and no further reference thereto is deemed necessary. The tape is pulled across the support 3 by feed rollers 1 actuated by an electric motor 5. A second ticker 6 is'also provided and this ticker operates upon a tape 7 which is fed across a projection position 8 by the feed rollers 9 actuated by the electric motor 10.

We have shown two tickers operating upon two tapes but it is to be understood that our invention may be practiced with any number of tickers and tapes which may be found desirable. Energy is supplied to the motors and by current from a suitable source, and

5 the circuit of each motor is. controlled by a dent that current will switch which is opened and closed by the tension in the tape between the ticker and the projection position. We have illustrated these switches as 11 and 12 respectively, and these may comprise pivoted arms 13 and 14 resting in loops 15 and 16 respectively of the tapes 2 and 7. As these loops increase in size it will be evident that the switches 11 and 12 respectively will be closed while, as the tapes straighten out and the loops are eliminated, the switches will be opened and the respective motors will cease'operation until the loops form again.

Parts of the motor circuits are indicated in Figure 1 and a complete wiring diagram is shown in Figure 2. Referring now particularly to Figure 2 current is supplied from any suitable source of power through a line comprising the conductors 17 and 18. The conductor 17 is connected through conductors 19 and 19 respectively to one side of each of the motors 5 and 10. The other side of the motor 5 is connected through a conductor 20 to a stationary contact of the switch 11, the other contact of which is on the arm 13. Connecting the two pivots of the arms 13 and 14 is a conductor 21, it being understood that the arms and pivots are of conducting mate rial. Connected to the stationary contact of the switch 12 is a conductor 22 leadin to the' other side of the motor 10. Joining the conductors 21 and 18 is a conductor 23, relay coil 24, conductor 25 and resistance 26. An arm 27 of the relay is connected to the conductor25 and is urged by a spring 28 out of engagement with a contact 29 which is connected by the conductor30 to one end of the resistance 26 and'to the conductor 18.

In operation and assuming that'both of the switches 11 and 12 are closed, it will be eviass from the line throughboth motors an will pass through the relay coil 24 and-resistance 26. When this condition obtains, suflicient current is taken from the line so that the relay operates and brings the arm 27 into engagement with the contact 29, thus shunting the resistance 26 and sending current through the arm 27,- 1

contact 29 and conductor 30 instead of through the resistance.

If one of the tickers ceases operation or .slows down enough so that its loop is shortened sufficiently to open the switch controlled thereby, the amount of current passing through the coil 24 will be decreased and the arm 27 will be pulled away from the contact 29, thereby placing the resistance 26 in the circuit of the motor which is still operating. The result of this action is to decrease the speed of the second motor which is still in motion. As the circuit of the other motor is again closed, which action takes place when its ticker starts operation and forms a sufficiently large loop of tape, the relay again operates and shunts the resistance 26 in the circuit of both motors. The motor which is just starting obtains the full benefit of the line and will speed up, whereas the other motor which has been operating continuously will continue at approximately the same speed, because it has passed the accelerative period.

From the above the speeds of the two tapes will be equalized. They will not be moved in absolute synchronism but, when the two motors are both operating, the speeds will be approximately the same because of the fact that the two motors are duplicates. When the movement of one tape stops, the decrease in speed is a gradual one, because of the inertia of the motor, and the speed of theother motor which is still operating is decreased somewhat, so that the change in relative'speeds is decreased. Similarly, when an idle motor starts, its acceleration is increased because of the application of full voltage thereto, and, therefore, the difference in speeds is not so noticeable. When the invention is practiced with motors having a high inertia whereby the acceleration and retardation of the speed of the tape is made a gradual one, the result is particularly effective.

Various changes in details will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and it is to be understood that we do not intend to limit ourselves to the exact disclosure made above but consider'ourselves entitled to all the changes which come within the scope of the appended claims.

WVe claim: 7

1. In combination, a plurality of tickers, a tape-moving device associated with each ticker and comprising a motor, and means to start and stop each motor, said means afiecting the speed of the other motors to decrease the difference between the relative speeds of said first named motor and the other motors.

2. In combination, a plurality of tickers, a tape-moving device associated with each ticker and comprising a motor, and means to it will be apparent that between the relative speeds of said first named motor and the other motors.

3. In combination, a pair of tickers, a tapemoving device associated with each ticker and comprising a motor, and means to stop the operation of each motor, said means decreasing the speed of the other motor.

4. In combination, a pair of tickers, a tapemoving device associated with each ticker and comprising a motor, and means to stop the operation of each motor controlled by variations in the tension of its tape, said means decreasing the speed of the other motor.

5. In combination, a pair of tickers, a tapemoving device associated with each ticker and each device comprising an electric motor, a common source of energy for said motors, a resistance common to the circuits of both of saidmotors, means to shunt said resistance when both motors are in operation, and means to place said resistance in the circuit of one motor when the other stops operating.

6. In combination, a pair of tickers, a tapemoving device associated with each ticker and each device comprising an electric motor, a common source of energy for said motors, a resistance and a relay coil common to the circuits of both of said motors, a circuit to shunt said resistance and having a switch therein controlled by said relay-coil, for the purpose set forth.

7. In combination, a plurality of tickers, each ticker adapted toeject a tapetherefrom into a loop, a tape moving device associated with each ticker and comprising a motor, and means to stop the operation of each of said motors, said means decreasing the speed of the other motor and controlled by the size of said loops.

8. In combination, a plurality of tickers, each ticker adapted to eject tape therefrom into a loop, a tape moving device associated with each ticker and comprising a motor, and means to start and stop each motor, said means affecting the speed of the other motors to decrease the diiference between the relative speeds of said first named motor and the other motors and controlled by the size of said loops.

In testimony whereof, we have afiixed our signatures.

WILLIAM S. PRITCHARD. IVILFRED T. BIRDSALL. 

